Will Spanish Socialists form a coalition with Citizens party?

After the Spanish election results on Sunday, it became clear that no political party will be able to govern without forming a coalition. But now that the results are known, everyone has started to speculate on possible alliances.

No matter which coalition comes into power, it’s clear that its leader will be the socialist Pedro Sanchez. Spanish socialists won the elections with 28,8% of the votes — that’s 123 seats out of the 350 that make up the Spanish parliament.

One of the possible options to form a coalition is a Socialist-Ciudadanos alliance, though neither party wants it. Albert Rivera, the Ciudadanos leader, has repeatedly ruled it out, denouncing Mr Sanchez over the Catalan issue and adding to the personal animus between the two men.

Spain would be better served, however, if the PSOE and Ciudadanos joined forces for the sake of national stability. A reformist coalition could deliver greater social justice while cracking open vested interests hindering growth and job creation. An accommodation on the need for greater regional autonomy within a federal state, without conceding the right to self-determination, might eventually deflate the independence movement.